Chapter 31: The Golden Fortress
Clara stood by the living room window, her fingers anxiously tracing the frame as she waited for the moving car Min-ho had arranged. Behind her, the apartment was anything but quiet. Lukas and Pascale were already locked in a fierce, dramatic battle over the wardrobe space she was leaving behind.
"You already claim sixty percent of the closet!" Lukas shrieked, throwing his hands in the air. "You could at least give me thirty percent of it, you stingy goat!"
"No way in hell!" Pascale barked back, defensively blocking the closet doors. "I am not mixing your trashy vintage look with my designer babies. They don't belong together! Just hang your junk over the bathtub."
"Excuse me?! You've lost your mind! The moisture would completely ruin everything!"
"On the contrary, princess," Pascale smirked, crossing his arms. "I even factored in the sunlight. The bathroom faces south."
"Ah! How can you be so cruel? And people call me the one with the dark soul, you stupid goose!"
Before any blood could be spilled, Clara turned around to intervene. "You guys do realize that I am coming back, right? This is only temporary."
"Sure, sweetie," Pascale said, offering a knowing smile. "But on the other hand, now that you're moving in with your prince, you might actually like it there."
Clara let out a heavy sigh, her gaze dropping to the floor. She swallowed hard, the weight of the situation pressing down on her chest. She truly wasn't sure if moving into his place was the right decision.
Lukas stopped his bickering instantly. He read her face like an open book. Stepping away from the closet, he walked over and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.
"Clara, honey... are you okay?" he asked, his voice dropping its dramatic edge, filled with genuine concern.
Clara looked at her two best friends, the guilt eating at her. "I'm just scared. Min-ho is doing all of this to protect 'Ji-soo'. But the closer I get to him, the tighter this net of lies becomes. What if he finds out I'm Ariadne? What if he realizes everything I told him was a lie?"
Pascale walked over too, standing on her other side. "Then we cross that bridge when we get to it. For now, you survive, you stay safe from that psycho stalker, and you let the billionaire play the hero."
A few minutes later, a sleek, midnight-black limousine with heavily tinted windows pulled up outside. Min-ho's private security guards—broad-shouldered men in tailored suits—efficiently carried her suitcases away.
When the limousine finally brought her back to Min-ho's hyper-exclusive skyscraper in the heart of Seoul, Clara felt her stomach tighten. She already knew this apartment; she had been here a few times before, but today, stepping across the threshold felt entirely different. Today, she wasn't just a guest. She was moving in.
The private elevator doors slid open, revealing the familiar, stunning world of white marble, floor-to-ceiling glass, and breathtaking views of the city skyline.
"Welcome back," a deep, familiar voice resonated through the quiet space.
Min-ho stood near the grand kitchen island. He had rolled up the sleeves of his crisp white dress shirt, looking so effortlessly handsome it made Clara's heart do a dangerous flip. He walked over, his eyes scanning her with intense worry. "Your wound... does it still hurt?"
"No, it's really just a scratch," Clara whispered, nervously clutching the strap of her bag.
An awkward silence settled between them, the tension thick and heavy. Clara looked around the massive space, trying to hide her racing thoughts. Her mind was a chaotic storm—torn between intense guilt for lying to him, a deep longing to just throw herself into his arms, and the paralyzing fear of this psycho stalker. According to Lukas's theory, she was a magnet for psychos, and this madman now viewed her as his personal love-fairy. The thought that this monster might hurt Min-ho because of her made her head feel like it was about to explode.
Trying to break the suffocating tension, Clara cleared her throat. "So... where can I sleep?"
Min-ho paused, a confident, hopeful smile spreading across his handsome face. He gestured toward the hallway. "Well... my bedroom is right through here."
Clara blinked, staring at him. "That is your bedroom. I asked where my bedroom is."
Min-ho's smile faltered instantly. His shoulders dropped slightly, and a comically disappointed expression washed over his face. He rubbed the back of his neck, suddenly looking a bit sheepish. "Right. Well... of course, you can sleep in the guest room, Ji-soo. I just thought... since we've already shared a bed before, and... well, we..."
"You know, Min-ho," Clara interrupted him quickly, her voice tight as she tried to control her erratic pulse. "I think we should remember that I am only here because of the stalker. And don't forget, according to the security report, you are the one who shouldn't be leaving the house alone right now either. We should really just keep a clear, and above all, cool head. Don't you think?"
Min-ho stared at her for a moment, absorbing her words. Slowly, a small, defeated chuckle escaped his lips. "Ah... when you put it that way, I suppose you might be right. Let's keep a cool head for now." He took a step closer, his eyes softening as he looked down at her. "But regardless, we should still try to make ourselves comfortable here, shouldn't we?"
The romantic tension between them was electric. Min-ho reached out, his hand gently resting on her waist—careful not to apply pressure near her injury—as he looked deep into her eyes. Clara felt herself melting under his gaze, completely losing her train of thought.
But just as the moment threatened to consume them, a sharp, loud vibration echoed from her jacket pocket.
BZZZ.
Clara snapped out of the daze and pulled out her phone. In an instant, the color drained from her face, and her blood turned to ice. It was a push notification from her secret publisher app, logged directly into her real author account:
[Ariadne, you have an urgent message from your chief editor regarding the next manuscript deadline!]
Min-ho was standing mere inches away, and his sharp, curious eyes instinctively darted downward toward the brightly lit screen...